Lose your fear of dogs with hypnotherapy
If you have a phobia of dogs, hypnotherapy can help you lose it far more easily than you could dream possible. Typically it only takes a very small number of sessions. Please see hypnotherapy for phobias for more information.
Dogs are a bit different from some other phobias - spiders, lifts, clowns - because sometimes, dogs may be dangerous. Not often, but they can. So as well as hypnotherapy you also need some basic information on how to read dog behaviour, and how to respond. It's useful for everyone, so I'm reproducing it here. With its help, you can recognise which dogs are afraid or angry. And you'll recognise that the great majority of dogs are happy and just want to play with you.
Most dogs just want to play - the bare bones of dog body language
The following advice is for adults. It is based on standard advice as given by various dog experts.
- Most dogs are not going to bite, though some badly-trained dogs will yap, sniff, snuffle at you or in the worst case put their forepaws on you and try to lick your face. This is horrid! – but it is SAFE.
- Learn to read dog body language: a happy frisky dog is nothing to be scared of. A dog with its ears up, wagging its tail, mouth open, is not going to attack. Dogs are playful animals. It is asking you to play. Here are some excellent sketches of dog body language.
- A few dogs attack out of dominance, most attack out of fear. You want to act so you seem neither challenging nor submissive.
- Don’t turn your back on the dog. Dogs’ brains are wired to chase retreating backs.
- DON’T STARE AT THE DOG. In fear, human beings open their eyes wide and show the whites of their eyes. In dogs this is a sign of aggression. If you get scared, and open your eyes wide and look at the dog, the dog will think you are going to bite him and will snarl to defend himself, making you open your eyes wider and stare harder, which in turn makes him …. bad news.
This is why people who are afraid of dogs are convinced that "dogs always attack me." It's because the dogs always think they are being attacked.
- DO keep looking towards the dog, but DON’T make eye contact. Relax or half-close your eyes. You might even blink a few times.
- If the dog continues to approach you, say firmly “No!” or “Sit!” or “Bad dog!”
- DO move slowly and calmly away, backwards or sideways.
- Remember, most dogs just want to play. This may be the last thing on your mind just yet, but when the time comes when you want to play with a dog, first ask the owner. Then ask the dog, by letting it sniff your fingers.
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